Sydney's Jeremy Laidler has suffered a blow in his preparations for season 2017, with the defender set to be sidelined for at least weeks after undergoing elbow surgery.
Laidler, who played 17 games, including the grand final last season, will be in a protective brace for a month.
"He's had a grumbly elbow which presented in mid-December, and upon further investigation, there was some loose bodies and some arthritic aspects to the joint," Sydney's head of football, Tom Harley, said.
"We'll see how he recovers fro the surgery but he'll certainly be out of action for up to six weeks.
"It's disappointing for 'Laids' as he was having a solid pre-season up until that point, but he's in good spirits."
